Last Updated on April 16, 2021 by Mrunal & Jiten
At last, the long weekend was in sight. My ardent wish to visit Murud Janjira beach can become real this time I thought. My friends, four of us, were also free and so we started preparing for the overdue 3-day trip to this special Konkan destination.
Why this particular Beach on the long Konkan Coastline?
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If you wondering why I wanted this trip badly, there are many reasons. I have heard many positive reviews of this happening beach. I also know of home stays, camping options and good hotels available in the area.
My friends, history buffs they are, also wanted visit the Murud Janjira Fort which is close-by.
Added to this, I came to know that two Hindi movies have been shot in the Fort. One was Qayamat and another is a song “Tu Hi Re” from Bombay with Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swamy playing important roles in it. The visuals in those films had impressed me and so I was convinced that it would be a good idea to allocate a long weekend to this particular beach.
Our Journey began at last
The distance between Pune, my city to Murud Janjira is 182.5 km, would take us to say 3 ½ to reach there by car. We decided to take my Dzire and leave city limits by 6.00 a.m. in the morning. Two reasons behind the early start were one, to enjoy the view of mountains and second, to avoid coastal traffic.
We considered these options…
How to Reach Murud Janjira Beach
Route 1 – Pune – Mumbai highway–
Once we start on the Pune and Mumbai Highway, the route travels through Khopoli then Pen then to Alibaugh Kashid along the Revdanda Muru Road to finally reach the Beach.
Friends who have been there before insisted this road was the best and one can travel at any time in the day or night.
Route2 – Again Pune – Pune Mumbai highway –
The same highway, but going through Khoopli to Pen to Mumbai Goa highway then Roha Ashtami Road and Roha Ghosla Road ending finally at Murud.
A scenic road, but has some hurdles and it is not safe for night travel
There is another route Paud Road through Mulshi which is the shortest distance. The view en route is amazing but this route is only for the adventurous who can brave the bad road conditions.
Since we had time on hand we chose the first route and moved on enjoying the scenery.
We stopped midway to have a quick breakfast and set off towards Murud. We stopped at Divegar. A car ferry was ready to take us to the Murud Beach.
Here we are on the beach: Murud Janjira Guide
Winter season is the best time to visit here according to the reviews I saw of this place. Monsoons and summers are best avoided as they whole area would be hot and humid. Of course people who prefer going off season could try monsoons, but the grand Fort nearby is closed during monsoons and would mean your trip would be incomplete.
Just as we reached, there was a complete calm around. No crowds as such, just the sound of water lapping the beach. About Two kms of coastline, Black sand and bluish waters, these three features made the beach inviting. Surrounded by hills on three of its sides, the scene seemed out of a coloring book.
The beach was clean without the usual tourist garbage like plastic wraps and bottles. The pleasant breeze from the waving coconut trees was a balm for our tired 24 * 7 souls from the big city.
Camping on the Beach
Unlike regular tourists, we decided to pitch our tents near the beach itself.
There are camping facilities available right near this cool beach. There are tents of all sizes and as per one’s requirements. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is available. Some of the amenities provided are first aid, Hammock built between huge coconut trees, Parking, Washrooms, Alcohol, and Buffet.
Once settled in tents we decided to hunt for eateries to fill our empty stomach
Excitement at Sea
A bit of rest and we were ready for ADVENTURE.
There are many options for the water sports lover in this beach. They are available during the tourist season between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Parasailing, ATV rides, Paragliding banana boat ride, you name it, and it is available. We tried out all the activities. I fell in water twice but that did not deter me or my friends from jumping back to the exciting adventures here.
Cricket Creates Opportunities
In the evening one of my friends laid on the silky sand reading a book.
There was this group of school boys playing and enjoying their day. Three of us decided to join them. One little boy was lingering around in
One fellow in our team has a soft corner for the underprivileged. Even I have taken advantage of this special quality of my friend to avert minor financial crisis I faced sometimes. Coming back, this friend of mine called that little boy to join us for playing. The other boys did not take this well but gave the ball in his hand.
The new kid clearly looked like a rookie; by the way, he handled the ball and the way he ran in. The game continued without excitement until the boys’ coach came by.
The boys automatically started playing seriously and according to rules. Just as the coach sat on the beach, the local boy blasted his best player’s “middle stump”! Everybody was surprised at the turn of events. The coach impressed started making enquires about the boy as a big inter-school match was coming up in a few days.
All of us were happy for the boy. On the horizon the sun turned orange and was going down the horizon. It is a sight for sore eyes like mine, used I was to a polluted skyline at home.
Barbecue Nights at Murud
The night set in and preparations for Barbecue dinner were getting ready. Ah! This is how Life should be! ”, we four friends concluded.
Filled to brim with food, we sat around a bonfire and started singing. My friends managed to drown my hoarse voice with their own sweet voices while new friends we made at sea joined us.
The Murud Janjira Fort
Remember, our weekend was not dedicated to the murud janjira beach alone. We also had the Fort to cover. Janjira fort is one of the best forts in Maharashtra.
History is one of my favorite subjects too and I would not lose the opportunity to have a close look at it. Hence, the second day was allocated for visiting the janjira fort and other attractions nearby.
We arrived from the beach to this fort the next morning after a pleasant boat ride from Rajapuri Jetty that took about us 30 minutes. Boat services to the fort are available from 7 in the morning to 4.45 in the evening. The charges for the boat were nominal.
Once we reached there, my friend just stared at it with his mouth open. We never expected it would be so ENORMOUS! According to the records, the fort wall is 40 feet tall and spread across 22 acres!
The Murud Janjira History Fort
The name of the place itself is a combination of Konkan and Arabic Murud is a Konkani word for Island and Janjira. Fort was built in the 17th century.
Fort was built by Nawabs of Janjira. Fort is situated on an island just off the coastal village of murud janjira beach.
We gleaned the following information about the fort and set to exploring its ramparts…
- It stands on an oval rock amidst the Arabian Sea. It was once an impregnable fort. The Marathas, the Portuguese and the British have attacked this fort at various points of time in History.
- Even its main gate is visible only one is just 12 m from it. A small gate opened to the sea was a way for the insiders to escape when resistance was impossible.
- It was built by Koli Chief Ram Patil but was captured by a minister in the court of Sultan of Ahmednagar of Nizamshahi Dynasty.
- It is said that there were fully functional Palaces, Office quarters, mosque and fresh water lakes 60 foot deep inside the premises during that period
The outside wall near the main gate had a beast sculpture holding elephants in its claw. We checked out a few of the 19 rounded bastions. Seems all are still in good condition. Of
Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets
Other attractions nearby: Murud Janjira Places to Visit
There were other places to go in the same area…
- Siddhi Vinayak Temple is quite near just 10 kms and some tourists who visit this beach make it a point to seek blessings of Lord Ganesh here. Since ours was a short trip, we decided to visit this temple when we visit this area with our families.
- We however visited the Garambi Dam and had a view of the beautiful waterfalls around.
- We went around and purchased trinkets, sweetmeats and pickled sea food to enjoy later.
We returned back to our camp after spending some time near the waterfalls.
Day 3
The last day of our trip arrived!
We got up early to be in time for dolphin sighting boat trips. The trip was scheduled very early in the morning and we enjoyed being in water at that time.
We decided to find a grub or two to eat. Though we had options at the camping site we wanted something different. Just then the local boy who played cricket came to us. He insisted that we come to his humble house. There, a hot meal of the fresh catch was ready for eating. It was as tasty as home meals can get. Ultimately, choosing the winter season and the right holiday spot paid off.
Both the journey and destination were simply… Glorious! Three days vanished being one with nature even while watching life vintages as it passed by. We packed our bags started our journey back to reality with heavy hearts. So plan your next vacation at Murud Janjira beach.
Parag
This is awesome!!
Can I get more info about campsite?
Mrunal Konkan
There are many camping options available at Murud Janjira beach. Quite a few hotels and resort provide it. I would suggest for Camp Wanderlust, Murud.